Will Russia be able to preserve sovereign domestic and foreign policy in the nearest forthcoming years? That is one of the most unpleasant and sensitive issues. It proves to be in agenda under circumstances of global crisis. The author considers two vectors of the contemporary geopolitical strategy. One vector is aimed at the recent past and does not promise progressive development and stability. It is contained in gradual rollback to prior frontier lines and beyond them a bitter prospect of the state’s independence disintegration and extinction. The second vector is contained in continuation of the chosen course. Multitude of difficulties lies in wait for Russia’s elite. Firstly, it is necessary to heal not effects but causes, unravel these causes. Is the stratum of superrich able to sacrifice profits for the sake of the country’s future? Is development in the context of the spiritual and metaphysical exhaustion of the elite possible? Can the true Being prevail over philosophy of quantitative increments, profits, economic and class egoism? These are questions the national leaders and all who is not indifferent to the country’s future will have to answer in the nearest time.

In the last part of the article the author shows based on the facts that the Soviet Union had started the negotiation on unification of Germany without distinct strategic goal where to lead the matters and without well thought-out tactics how to lead them. At that time we could secure our interests very seriously, but nothing had been done for that. We just swallowed an assurance made at the very beginning of the diplomatic bargaining that NATO would not move to the East on an inch and had been rested on that. But the recently declassified documents shows, that the USA and Europe were ready for very serious search of compromises as to entering of unified Germany into NATO and to further NATO expansion to the East as well.

The multinational and poly-confessional Russian empire experienced problems with use of human resources in military purposes. The government had to take into account martial customs of various regions' population as well as the danger connected with arming of nations political loyalty of which caused well-grounded doubts. Situation was aggravated by the estate differentiation of the society and negative attitude toward soldiery which was considered as a punishment. Different levels of Russia’s Western and Eastern peripheries cultural and social development hindered the process of military service regulations standardization. The authorities tried to use the army as a school of state education and the state integration.

The author tracks down the evolution of known publicist and historian N. Valentinov (N.V.Volsky) opinions in the course of his long life. Valentinov, a non-party democrat and Socialist, since 1930 a forced emigrant demonstrated a rare independence of judgments as well as ability to critical self-judgment. He was interested in difficult problems of the Russian history that were banned in the USSR as subjects of scientific investigation. In particular, Valentinov was interested in such subjects as transformation of Russia before the WWI, potential of the New Economic Policy, role of intelligentsia in the country modernization, Marxism on the Russian soil, personality of Lenin and ideological roots of Bolshevism, Russia and Europe, causes of the Stalinist regime validation, causation of this regime by short-term circumstances and traditions of the national conscience, world-views and public positions of Gorky, Block, Andrei Belyi et al. Valentinov was an objective scholar and many his observations and conclusions preserve their importance to this day.

Attempts undertaken by researchers of Ukraine and Russia to eliminate the gap that emerged between historiography schools of Russia and Ukraine after disintegration of the Soviet statehood not just failed. On the contrary, the gap is getting to increase. The principal reason for that is hidden in the Ukrainian historiography basic ‘paradigm' aimed at ever increasing ideological and mythological components of the Ukrainian history as well as at forgery of the most contradictory facts. Emergence, political nature, and activities of the Central Rada as a political institution from the contemporary Ukrainian statehood takes its ideal origin is one of the most mythologized moments of the 20th century Ukraine history moments. Myths about the Central Rada invented by Ukrainian historians have not a historical but obviously political character and are targeted to forgery of the common historical past, unsubstantiated accusations of the Russian government, and victimization of the Ukrainian party. Such myth invention is easily disclosed by virtue of genuine scientific and objective approach to study of history. Unfortunately, however, until creation of myths, not scientific examination of historical facts will dominate in the Ukrainian historiography the dialogue between historians of Russia and Ukraine will be exceptionally hampered.

The article is a theological investigation of the Grace-filled Flame based ob analysis of the Orthodox tradition authentic texts, including the Holy Scripture, Books of the Old and New Covenant, Holy Fathers' writings, sacred worship chants. In result of analysis the author comes to the conclusion that the very notion of the Grace-filled Flame being immutable in the course of its existence is the integral attribute of the Orthodox Church spiritual practice and theology. The problem is analyzed in terms of Grigory Palama’s theology. According the hypothesis set forth in the article the Grace-filled Flame is the portent of the Lord and a human being meeting and their spiritual and energetic mergence.